Does everyone love before and after shots as much as I do? Well I guess you would need to know how much I love before and after shots. A lot. Especially when the transformation didn’t involve major construction work.
Here are a couple of makeovers from Canadian House & Home -
And here is the second Before and After
Its a long weekend here in Ireland so this will be a quick post as I should be relaxing and enjoying the scenery down here in Killarney, Co Kerry. I love spending time here, especially going for walks in the national park. Killarney is stunning no matter what time of year you visit but Autumn is one of my favourites.
We have a guest Foodie this week. J is a master at Thai cuisine which is my favourite cuisine of all. I could eat Thai food and nothing else. Here is her recipe for a Zingy Thai Salad. Yum!
ZINGY THAI SALAD (serves 2)
This is very versatile – you can have it as a snack or a main meal.
You can also tailor it to use your favourite fresh crispy salad and veg ingredients.
Here’s what I included on this occasion:
FOR THE SALAD
Handful of Crispy Lettuce, roughly chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 carrots, thinly sliced
Half a red onion, thinly sliced
Large handful of beansprouts washed
Large handful of sugarsnap peas, topped and tailed.
3 tablespoons of peanuts (use cashewnuts either)
1/3 of a cucumber, sliced lengthways, remove the seeds and then slice into half moons
FOR THE DRESSING
2 tbl Fish Sauce
2 tbl Freshly squeezed Lime Juice
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar (or xylitol)
Handful of Coriander leaves
Handful of Mint leaves (optional)
1 tsp grated or finely chopped ginger
1 tsp grated or finely chopped garlic
1/2 tsp of grated or finely chopped red chilli
METHOD
Prepare salad ingredients and put onto a large salad platter or bowl and set aside.
Mix together all the dressing ingredients and taste to ensure you have the balance right for your tastebuds.
Fish Sauce will make it more salty.
Lime Juice will cut through it more and make it more tangy.
Be careful not to overdo the Sesame oil as its very strong and too much can ruin your dressing.
Blend with a hand blender if you wish, and spread over the salad.
OPTIONS
Serve with thinly sliced beef, chicken or some oven-roasted fish (cooked with lime leaves for extra zest) for a more substantial meal.
I cook the meat in a little bit of the dressing to give it some flavour.
I love this bedroom (spotted via the Brick House). I love the bedspread, the orange cushions, the mirrors, the purple orchids, the bottle in the window, the window and the bedside lamps. I guess you get that I like this room.
I love checking in every now and then on the Living Etc’s See My Home forum. Always great inspiration.
Here is Evap’s little House In Surrey -
And here is Olive’s house in Manchester -
I was reading an article in the Guardian recently about three people who have each started up a design related company after being let go from their job. I guess we all like reading stories about people who manage to turn a situation around as it gives us hope and life doesn’t seem so scary. Don’t get me wrong – I know this is by no means easy and not an option for everyone but I still like hearing about such successes. One of the companies mentioned in the article was Anorak, who specialise in outdoor products such as travel, camping and gardening accessories.
A lovely vase for 11 euro from the Fairtrade shop near St Stephens Green shopping centre. There was also a large size with a wider opening for 25 euro. I just love the shape and lines – its beautiful with or without flowers.
I love this Peacock rug Matthew Williamson designed for The Rug Company’s Designer Collection. Matthew is not a bad fashion designer either which is where you usually find his creations.
Pre – cohabitation D had a little Sunday routine where he would buy the Observer newspaper in the afternoon, head to the pub for a read and of course a pint. Now since I moved in, allegedly, I have upset some of his rituals. He stills buys the newspaper every Sunday but only occasionally reads it over the pub or alternatively during the week if we were out and about on Sunday interacting with people or god forbid – nature!! 
I think I may have gone totally off the point – this post is about food and the fact that The Observer has a Food Monthly Magazine and back in July they had a great article that listed 100 easiest, fastest recipes, Ever. D tried one of the recipes out during the week and it was out of this world fantastic. De-lic-ious!!!
Penne with Asparagus
Boil three handfuls of penne rigate.
Trim a bunch of the freshest asparagus you can get and cut it into cross sections that match the size of the pasta shapes.
Throw them into the same water for the pasta’s last minute.
Separate two eggs, keeping only the yolks.
Grate a fistful of parmesan and pick a bunch of basil.
Drain the pasta and asparagus, and return it to the pot, off the heat.
Add a tablespoon of butter, the egg yolks, the basil and the cheese.
Fold together quickly, season to your liking and eat.
TIP: When asparagus goes out of season you can make the same dish with peas straight from the pod.
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